The ice is nice: Kettering official says skating rink is in great condition after weekend freeze

FLINT, MI -- Since last month's opening of an ice rink at Atwood Stadium, skaters have been taking advantage of the free skating times, a Kettering University official said.

On a regular basis, there has been anywhere between 20 to 30 skaters at the ice rink every session. One Saturday afternoon participation reached a high of around 60, said Mike Schaal, director of recreation services at Kettering.

"We haven't reached capacity for the rink, but I’m happy with the numbers," Schaal said. "Considering this winter’s weather, I’m very pleased with the type of turnout we’ve had."

Poor weather conditions have caused open skate times to be canceled over the past month, but this week the ice is perfect for skating, Schaal said.

"I would argue it's probably the best ice we've had all winter," he said.

The ice has no cracks in it and the bumps are smoothed out, thanks to the rain last week and then the freeze over the weekend, Schaal said.

The science of ice is a delicate one. The window for weather to make good ice is a narrow one, Schaal said.

One of the severe cold spells caused cracks in the ice and a water truck was brought in to fill in those cracks. The water refroze and it was good. But then as it got soft last week, the rain came in and then it refroze nicely this weekend.